Every 1 Counts: Made a mistake? All is not lost

By Cynthia Kimball

Published: Monday, Dec. 27 2010 4:00 p.m. MST

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In 1983, LDS Church President Howard W. Hunter (1983) said:

"We should never let Satan fool us into thinking that all is lost. Let us take pride in the good and right things we have done; reject and cast out of our lives those things that are wrong; look to the Lord for forgiveness, strength, and comfort and then move forward."

Oftentimes when we make a mistake we think all is lost instead of thinking, "OK, from this point forward I will not do this anymore."

Take, for instance, John, who hasn't paid his tithing in 20 years. He might think, "I need to go back and pay 20 years worth of tithing," when, essentially, he can instead, repent, seek forgiveness and pay tithing from this point forward; starting with a new way of being.

After all, some of the greatest lessons and most powerful things that transform us are as we go about trying to accomplish things.

Keeping a perspective of "from this point forward" can help us even overcome our fears and allow us to learn and grow through humility, especially if we have reached the bottom.

Beating yourself up is not the path to personal growth; sanctification and making yourself worthy is.

Think of the reduction of fear as an indicator that you're on the right path. As you think about this more, from this point forward, make a change.

If we don't, it suggests that we are very unforgiving people.

The whole concept of forgiving is that it will bring more peace to your heart.

Do not let your fears lead you to maintain and keep your own captivity.

From this point forward, don't go back to the drawing board and re-create everything. When there is failure we don't have to be reborn and reboot.

So the person who can repent in this manner and forgive himself in this manner, again, from this point forward, has demonstrated the deeper aspects of love.

Otherwise, when we get overly focused and reactive in our fears, we will miss the bigger picture because we won't know it's there.

In a spiritual picture, remember that the adversary is always out there looking for an opportunity to cause failure. The adversary tends to capitalize on channels of fear because a human being will do things to reduce fear that will ultimately get them captive.

If something isn't aligned properly, make the correction right then and there. When you run into a roadblock, don't go all the way back to the point of origin, just take a detour, since your goal and destination are still the same.

Do not let your fears cause you to minimize or discount al these things that are fitting into place. It is that the way is prepared before you. It is that angels are already paving the way and making sure you're going to follow that path.

Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu said, "The journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step."

To this I add, a single step forward while "…taking pride in the good and right things we have done. …"

Cynthia Kimball is a professional speaker and trainer. She writes a column for weeklies' in southern Utah and is a southern Utah correspondent for Deseret News. She can be reached at kimball@every1counts.net. Her column, "Every1Counts," appears on deseretnews.com bi-monthly.